A standard 8 x 8 wooden chessboard has a straight line scratch in its surface, and is taken in for repair. The artisan who it is brought to decides to cover each affected square with a thin wooden veneer of the appropriate color.

Assuming that a different veneer is needed for each square of the board, what is the maximum number of such veneers that the artisan will require to do the job?

22.
I am assuming the scratch has some width to it. If so, the scratch goes exactly down the diagonal. This will mark the 8 through that line, and the corner edge of the 7 on the diagonals on either side.

If you want to assume that the scratch has no width, then why are you bothering to get it fixed?

Posted by Half-Mad on 2002-05-08 01:36:12